love, september [etsy shop]

Perfection.

Giveaway winner!

The giveaway closed at midnight (Monday, June 28th) so I'm sorry I couldn't accept a couple of entries that were submitted after that time!

Random.org has determined the winner to be Debbie from Suburb Sanity. Congrats to Debbie and thanks so much to everyone who participated!

Debbie, I'll be sending your email address to CSN so you may claim your $40 gift certificate.

Go find a giveaway.

Today's giveaway is another $40 gift certificate to one of CSN's many online stores. Woo!

Last weekend my friend Ashley came up to visit while Kev was out of town. We spent Friday night talking about how our lives have changed so much in the 13 years we've been friends. This week as I browsed CSN's sites yet again, I saw the bedroom vanity section and was reminded of all the time Ashley and I spent in front of hers as teenagers. I thought she was so cool she had one built into her room so she could put on her make up (which consisted of just mascara and lipgloss when we were 14) and do her hair in the mornings. I had to fight with my younger brother for the bathroom every morning at my house. Lame.

As you know, CSN has tons of stuff to offer and this $40 giftcard can be applied to any item from any site you choose. Maybe you'd like to get a vanity for your own little girl so her friends can be jealous of her like I was jealous of Ashley. And then YOUR little girl can talk with HER friend 13 years later and reminisce about all those good times lip-syncing in front of that very same vanity with hair brushes.

This giveaway is open to all U.S. and Canadian-based readers.

You may receive one entry by leaving a comment on this post.
You may receive one additional entry by becoming a follower (or staying a follower!).
You may receive ANOTHER additional entry by posting about this on your own blog OR Facebook OR Twitter (just leave another comment here sharing a link to wherever you decide to spread the word).

That's a total of three possible entries! Take advantage of it and good luck!

Giveaway closes Monday night at 12am.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by.

If only the Pink House had a bathtub.

It's true. The Pink House is only equipped with a 3/4 bath. Kev and I took a HUGE risk when we redid the whole bathroom and opted not to squeeze a tub into the remodel... We decided that adding three closets as well as gutting the bathroom was a better deal than just gutting the bathroom. Let's hope we're not completely screwed when it comes to selling the house someday.

The point of this whole story is that I love this bathtub spout cover.

I wish I had a tub spout for it! I saw it via Making It Lovely and instantly followed the link to Amazon to see how ridiculously low-priced it is. It looks like a great way to keep your little one from smacking his head on the faucet while still making bath time fun and cute. This whale is definitely my new favorite bathroom accessory.

You may call me a hypocrite if you'd like.

I don't like the smell of roses. Also, I think they're kind of plain. It's funny that I think that about roses because my favorite flower is a daisy- which is extremely plain.

Regardless of how I feel about roses, I still accept them. Kev gave me a rose once, and only once. Poor guy.

His dad also brought me a few roses when he brought over the Irises last week. This single red rose did such a good job of convincing me of its beauty that I ended up putting it on my bedside table.

Tricky little flower; getting the best of me. I guess you can say I'm a sucker for flowers, regardless of what variety. I'm telling you though, the fresh flower bug really did catch me in May. I'm afraid I can never go back to NOT having blooms in my house. It's one of my new favorite things.

Giveaway winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this great CSN giveaway. It's always so fun to host these and give back to all the nice people who stop by and visit my blog(s).

Enough of the gratitude- what you really want to know is WHO WON.

Random.org generated a winner out of all entries- Carolsue is the recipient of the $40 gift certificate!

Carolsue, I'll submit your email to CSN so you may claim your giftcard.

And remember, I'll be hosting ANOTHER CSN giveaway on Liv(e) this week, so come on back and try again!

Who doesn't love free date nights?

One of my favorite things to do is spend quality time with Kev. We just cancelled our cable (YIKES!) this week because 1) we're cutting back on expenses; and 2) we don't need to waste our time in front of stupid TV.

On Monday we went to the Ogden Amphitheater to enjoy the free concert and family movie. We only went once last year and I regret that we didn't take advantage of the opportunity more consistently.

The weather was perfect and we ran into the dog who made me adopt Maddie.


It was so good to see that little schnauzer and his mom Kerry. Kev and I left Maddie home because she's sometimes a toxic cloud of aggression in public places and neither one of us had the energy to keep her corralled.

Next week they're showing a Star Trek movie, and the week after is The Blindside. Let me know if you'd like to join me and Kev!

Be sure to enter Friday's giveaway!

Tough crowd.

You GUYS. You're a touch bunch. But because I appreciate all ya'll, we're gonna go ahead and have ourselves a giveaway TODAY. I'm in a time crunch and want to make sure we get to enjoy both the giveaways I've been given the opportunity to host.

You're welcome.

As you know, I coveted my IKEA sofa for ages. I wanted a sleeper sofa originally, and I wish I'd thought to look at CSN's website (remember how they offered a free print to one lucky reader in the Spring?). They have tufted sleeper sofas that are the about the same price as the Karlsvik sofa I got on Memorial Day. Too bad I neglected to browse their selection (which offers free shipping). I especially like this one in Mocha.

In order to help YOU remember to look to CSN for future purchases, I have a $40 gift certificate to offer to one lucky reader. It can be applied toward any item on any of CSN's many sites. They have over 200 categories of sites with countless products. That means that whoever wins this gift certificate can basically get whatever the heck they want. Shoes, office supplies, a casserole dish... WHATEVER.

SA-WEET.

Here's how to enter:

You must live in either the U.S.A. or Canada to be eligible.
You may leave one comment to be considered for one entry.
You may leave a second comment with a link to your own blog/facebook/twitter advertising the giveaway to be considered for one additional entry.

That gives each person two entries for the giveaway :)

Good luck and thanks for following my blog! The giveaway will be open until 12:oo am MST on Wednesday, June 23, 2010.

Sharing is caring!

Kev and I browsed some TOMS shoes at The Gateway Mall in April and I was not impressed with the selection... I know I'm a bit of a shoe snob, but seriously, all the styles were ugly. The mission of TOMS shoes though is to provide a pair of shoes to someone in need every time a pair is purchased, which is beautiful. So I've resisted the urge to tell everyone how ugly I think the shoes are. I've only told a few people.

I decided to look at the website to see if I've just overlooked some better styles that exist. I'm really glad I visited the TOMS site because they actually have great wedges that appeal to me much more than the popular canvas flats. Some of the designs on the flats are alright, but in person I really don't like how they're constructed. There just too granola.

This navy striped pair is much more doable for me. It's a summery style and it's a little more sophisticated than the flats, but still casual enough for jeans, bermuda shorts or a sundress. I know granola is the whole point of TOMS, but I'm happy to see that other options are also available for a snobby East coaster like me.

I am probably the worst home maker ever because I'm never home.

I'm usually too tired to even think about cooking after work. I also come home so beyond starving that I don't have the patience to prepare a "real" meal anyway.

Sundays are usually the only day I have energy and time to get something good cooked up. It's depressing, but it's better than nothing.

A few weeks ago I talked Kev into letting me try a random recipe that I'd seen posted on someone's Facebook status. It seemed like the perfect recipe for a lazy homemaker such as myself:

Step 1- put frozen chicken breasts in crock pot
Step 2- cover with salsa
Step 3- cook in crock pot
Step 4- eat it

I only cooked the breasts for 3 ish hours and they were done to perfection. Kev and I sprinkled some cheese on top and I broke up a taco shell for my plate. The only other change I made was to add canned pineapple bites to the crock pot because I love a little fruity zing in salsa. It was so good that between the two of us, Kev and I ate all three chicken breasts in one sitting.

You're welcome.

Go find a giveaway.

Alright, so we're a far cry away from hosting a giveaway here at Liv's Favs (become a follower and we'll get there!). In the meantime, head over to Jess' blog for a chance to win a gift certificate to CSN stores to be used on any item you'd like!

Super sweet, yes?

Go on!

Also, if you're in the Provo area, visit Jess and Darci at the Farmer's Market to get your hands on some of their AMAZING handmade baby accessories, jewelry and headbands.

I love the button detail on this bib that's featured in their online shop. They have so much more available at the market, so don't miss out!

A huge sale still doesn't take away the sting.

I love two fragrances from Bath & Body Works = Butterfly Flower and Wild Honeysuckle. They are subtle and spring-like and fantastically light.

Of course, they are being discontinued this year (with many other favorite signature scents). Thankfully, they're on sale for $4 each. AND I even bought an eau de parfum of Wild Honeysuckle for less than $7 because they're on sale for 75% off in stores.

The sale started yesterday, so GO NOW and stock up on some of the best scents out there. Additionally, the fragrances not being discontinued are on sale with the usual awesome deals B&BW offers, like buy 2 get 1 free, or buy 3 get 2 free.

I did manage to find a new scent that may be able to fill the void that will eventually be left when I run out of Butterfly Flower and Wild Honeysuckle. I bought a $1 sample of FORever Summer and I have to admit it's refreshing and reminds me of the beach just as the name implies it should.

Not bad for an inexpensive pick-me-up.

Thrifting is one of my favorite things.

Kev and I both love thrift shopping.

The only reason he ran an errand with me last week was because my destination was next door to DI, the thrift store operated by the LDS church.

I'm so glad he decided to come because we ended up finding a beauty of a chair for only $25.

The only problem was that we had driven to DI in Kev's two-door Tercel. Not exactly a furniture-moving kind of car. My lovely Kev let me sit in the chair in DI while he drove all the way home for my car so we could get this chair.

That's why we make a great team; I get to sit around while Kev does the hard work.

For now our new red chair lounges in the living room of the PH. Long-term, it will find a home in the second bedroom and provide a comfy resting spot when feeding my Pilates buddy and attempting to get her to fall asleep. It has a high back which is perfect for resting our sleepy heads while the baby attempts to deprive us of our sanity.

Maddie looks pretty good in it right now, doesn't she?

PS don't forget to become a follower so we can have a giveaway worth $40!

East coast, represent (volume II).

Being from Maine, I have to appreciate these earrings. (Pine cones are the state flower).

It's just too bad my ears aren't pierced. It's not like I never triedto get them pierced. It's just that I'm terrified of needles and when I was 12 my mom took me to get my ears done and the guy was about to mark my ear with the pen when I ducked out of the way and practically ran screaming from the mall.

So... I never got my ears pierced and my mom was pretty mad that I wasted her time.

PS don't forget to become a follower so I can host a giveaway on this blog!

Lend a helping hand.

Do you want to enter a giveaway?

Of COURSE you do.

Here's the thing. My other blog, Liv's Favs will soon be hosting a giveaway valued at $40. But in order to host it, I'd like that little blog to reach 50 followers. That's not too much to ask, is it? Especially since this giveaway is going to be AWESOME and will allow the winner to personalize a little somethin'somethin' just for him or herself.

So all you have to do is spread the word and become a follower of Liv's Favs so I can give back to everyone who visits my little spot(s) here on the Internet.

Did I mention there's more for you? There will be ANOTHER giveaway on THIS blog once Liv's Favs gets a little love. No more favors asked. Allow me to add that I get no compensation whatsoever for either of these giveaways- except for the satisfaction of knowing I did something nice for someone else.

That's how much I love you.

So there you have it. Once Liv's Favs has 50 followers, there will be a sweet giveaway. Once that giveaway closes, there will be ANOTHER ONE right here on this blog. Yea for the Internet.

Sugar and spice and everything nice!

I am pretty darn excited about some great news for you.

This little blog has the opportunity to host a giveaway for you, but first I'd like to ask a favor (besides your continued readership).

If we can work together to get "Liv's Favs" 50 followers I can hook you up with this giveaway. Until then, keep spreading the world about this little part of the Internet so we can hit the magic 50 for a giveaway valued up to $40. Woo!

Thanks a million!

She may not become a shoe shopper like me, but I can still try.

Really? So cute. Love these.

Found via "A Little Sussy."

Being an addict to ice cream, I can appreciate these dainty and delightful sorbet cups that come with the cute matching spoon! I'm in love.

They're a baby item, right? So... I could register for them, right?

I wish I could find this in stores.

I can only find this onesie online and it's so disappointing because I want ot redeem my "in-store only" coupons.





Maybe it's a good thing though. I don't want it to appear that we're trying to persuade our child too soon to appreciate good music. She may need to wait a few years before she's ready for Pink Floyd.

Who knew I'd become a "crafter?"

The Localicious fair was a lot of fun, even if we got rained on for the better part of the morning. Many thanks to all the friends who came by and supported me, Jess and Darci. It was so great to see all of you!

I exercised great restraint and only purchased a couple of items for my Pilates buddy. Jess and Darci hooked me up with this burp cloth set that is one part super-soft minky fabric and one part super-soft flannel. LOVE it.


I also scored a fabulous onesie that promotes living green and having green poop. So appropriate to teach my child.


I don't know how much energy I have to do more vendor fairs in the future, but it was a great experience to spend a day in downtown Ogden and get some recognition for my shop. Again, many thanks to all who were able to stop by!